At times it may seem that the pursuit of virtue is little attended to in our current culture. Instead, virtue signaling seems to be more in fashion.
However, the recognition that the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude are important elements in leading a virtuous life has been with us for centuries. From the ancient Greek philosophers like Plato to today’s Catholic faith, the virtues have served as guideposts to helping us become better people and to lead a full life.
In many respects, we often think of the cardinal virtues as habits or dispositions to act a certain way. Such actions can be seen as both mental and physical.
Fortitude is the only cardinal virtue that is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. To a certain extent it serves as a basis for the other virtues. It can have many meanings. It denotes a firmness of mind to strive to do good and to avoid evil. In that sense it is a virtue to counterbalance the temptation of the seven deadly sins.
Fortitude can also mean having the mental and physical endurance to sustain virtuous efforts over time. Self-control and self-discipline are components of fortitude; we need both to overcome obstacles. Over the centuries fortitude has also been called the virtue of courage.
A Lenten model of fortitude
This past Lent (as do all Lenten periods) served as a reminder of the need for and the discipline to practice fortitude. The Passion of Jesus, for which the 40 days of Lent lead up to, serves as our role model.
The movie Passion of the Christ vividly depicts Jesus’ fortitude both mentally and physically. Meditating on the Stations of the Cross, as well as the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary, also aid in reminding us of his fortitude.
Lent as an opportunity to reinforce fortitude
All that Jesus went through can certainly make our attempts to practice fortitude look pretty feeble. However, that should not deter us from “soldering on” to make the effort.
I think one of the great aspects of Lent is that it provides an opportunity to renew the practice of fortitude in both mind and body.
From a mental aspect, the Lenten journey focus on the discipline of prayer is one such occasion. It helps to get our attention on developing a prayer life habit that can move beyond Lent. To stick with such a habit requires a sustained fortitude of purpose.
From a physical standpoint, Lent also calls on us to fast and give alms. But there are a number of other physical actions that can help us renew our focus as well. We can expand on our works of charity, for instance. We can also participate in a wide variety of Church related activities, from retreats to special Church services such as stations of the cross, to confession opportunities, and to Eucharistic adoration.
Another Lenten physical action that requires fortitude is participating in the 40 Days for Life Lenten pro-life prayer vigils and marches. It can provide a challenge that often entails both mental and physical endurance. The challenges of inclement weather, late night vigils, and harassment from pro-abortion activists require a fortitude to withstand those encounters.
Hope
Fortitude is also related to patience, which is related to the theological virtue of Hope. Patience is simply the ability to wait, to continue doing something in spite of obstacles and to suffer without complaining.
As such, Lent is also an exercise in patience and hope. We patiently wait to celebrate and commemorate Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection and the resultant hope of our eventual salvation.
A physical training analogy
As I often do, I like to draw analogies between faith and physical exercise. We train our bodies to increase physical fitness.
Staying focused on a training regimen requires fortitude. Similarly, persisting with the physical routine, even though there may be some pain, also requires fortitude. Progress may be slow and patience is required because it takes time. In turn, we have the hope that we will achieve the training goals.
So. too, it is with Lenten practices, only there is a different goal – “spiritual fitness.” Our fortitude during Lent can serve as an advanced training regimen to develop a habit that is necessary for our life’s personal journey to our ultimate cross – death. We may suffer many mental, emotional and physical crosses over the course of our life journey which fortitude can equip us to handle.
The Lenten experiences remind us that faith, as in life, is not a sprint but a long-distance run. To endure, we need patient hope by embracing the virtue of fortitude to “stay the course.”
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfector of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
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